Former Brooklyn Dodger President Larry MacPhail celebrates the Dodgers 1941 pennant win on September 30, 1941. The Dodgers first in 21 years. He exclaimed, "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world." Soon thereafter, Larry fired manager Leo Durocher for ordering the train to skip a stop at the 125th Street Station on the teams way home while MacPhail and a jubilant crowd awaited their arrival. Of course, he claimed to not have remembered the incident- no doubt due to his drunken stupor at the time- and quickly rehired him.
MacPhail was an important executive in Baseball and the Dodgers. While in Cincinnati he ushered in night Baseball, the first televised game in 1939 and commercial flying for teams between games. In Brooklyn, the Dodgers made a profit for the first time in its history, and he was the man who brought Red Barber, Vin Scully's mentor, to the fans. The signing of Babe Ruth was also under his watch. Other achievements as a Baseball executive include the first "Old-Timers" game, daily televised game broadcast, establishing a pension fund for employees among all levels of the organization, introduced the season ticket plan & stadium clubs, and batting helmets.
Dodger manager Leo Durocher once said of him, "there is a thin line between genius and insanity, and in Larry's case it was sometimes so thin you could see him drifting back and forth."
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
ThinkCure! Auction
It's time to open up your pocketbook for the annual ThinkCure! auction. You can bid on everything from dinner with Tommy Lasorda to batting lessons with Don Mattingly. Below are some of my favorites. Go to the entire auction here.Below is a 2008 Dodger team signed Baseball on a 50th Anniversary commemorative ball.
This is a great Stephen Holland glicee on canvas artwork of Manny Ramirez.
An autographed copy of Alyssa Milano's book "Safe at Home."
And my ultimate favorite. Courtesy of KLOS is Grateful Dead Monopoly and the cd "Crimson, While & Indigo."
Scream For a Cure
What is going on here? First, we find out about some voodoo energy magic perpetrated by a long distance healer on the east coast. Now, the Dodgers press crew forwards along a release touting a ThinkCure! event featuring Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne in what they hope will be a Guinness World Record breaking "Scream for the Cure." 
Thank goodness the team has been winning because I hate to think what the fanbase would do if we were losers.
Grammy Award-winning rock legend Ozzy Osbourne will lead Dodger fans in what will potentially be the Guinness World Record-holding longest and loudest scream this Friday, June 11 during the 5th inning break when the Dodgers play against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. As part of the third annual ThinkCure! Weekend at Dodger Stadium this Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12, Ozzy and his wife Sharon Osbourne, a cancer survivor, will lend their support to ThinkCure! This stadium-wide scream is also in celebration of Osbourne’s upcoming Epic Records album Scream, due out June 22.During Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at 7:10 p.m. fans will be prompted to save their loudest scream for the middle of the 5th inning when Ozzy Osbourne and Stuart Claxton of Guinness World Records will take the field and lead the crowd in a “Scream for a Cure.” The stadium’s scream will be measured in length and audio level in hopes of breaking the world record. Additionally, Sharon Osbourne lent her support to ThinkCure! by recording a promotional message that will air in-game, during the telethon and online.
Fans can also donate to the ThinkCure! Weekend online at www.dodgers.com/thinkcureweekend and www.thinkcure.org, by calling (866) 554-CURE or by texting CURE to 50555 to make a $10 donation through their mobile phone bill. Last year’s ThinkCure! Weekend raised more than $240,000 to fund collaborative and innovative cancer research.
I'm all for unique and creative ways to make the public aware of a great organization like ThinkCure!, but the Dodgers are starting to be a parody.
Thank goodness the team has been winning because I hate to think what the fanbase would do if we were losers.
eBay: A Player Reassignment
This is something a veteran Major Leaguer never wants to get. Below is a player reassignment form letter on Brooklyn Dodger letterhead from 1932. When signed a player agrees to be assigned to the Dodgers Jersey Baseball Club in the International League.
If you look real closely you can see Garret Anderson's name lightly written on the blank space. Doh!
click the photo to enlarge
If you look real closely you can see Garret Anderson's name lightly written on the blank space. Doh!
click the photo to enlarge
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